Micropattern gaseous detectors (MPGDs) are a group of

gaseous ionization detectors Gaseous ionization detectors are radiation detection instruments used in particle physics to detect the presence of ionizing particles, and in radiation protection applications to measure ionizing radiation. They use the ionising effect of radia ...

consisting of microelectronic structures with sub-millimeter distances between anode and cathode electrodes. When interacting with the gaseous medium of the detector, particles of ionizing radiation create electrons and ions that are subsequently drifted apart by means of an electric field. The accelerated electrons create further electron-ion pairs in an avalanche process in regions with a strong electrostatic field. The various types of MPGDs differ in the way this strong field region is created. Examples of MPGDs include the

microstrip gas chamber Microstrip is a type of electrical transmission line which can be fabricated with any technology where a conductor is separated from a ground plane by a dielectric layer known as ''substrate''. Microstrip lines are used to convey microwave-frequ ...

, the

gas electron multiplier A gas electron multiplier (GEM) is a type of gaseous ionization detector used in nuclear and particle physics and radiation detection. All gaseous ionization detectors are able to collect the electrons released by ionizing radiation, guiding them ...

and the Micromegas detector. The main advantages of MPGDs over previous types of gaseous detectors, such as the

multiwire proportional chamber A wire chamber or multi-wire proportional chamber is a type of proportional counter that detects charged particles and photons and can give positional information on their trajectory, by tracking the trails of gaseous ionization. was located via ...

, are their count rate capability, time and position resolution, granularity, stability and radiation hardness.

References

{{reflist Particle detectors Ionising radiation detectors